Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility is the third Jane Austen novel I have read. I have previously enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Emma, so I was looking forward to reading Sense and Sensibility.

If you have read Jane Austen before, you will recognize the clever social satire, well-written characters, humor, emotion, and heart that characterize her works. I quickly became invested in the lives of the two main characters, sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, and thoroughly enjoyed reading about their family, friends, and acquaintances. One thing that I did not expect is the level of mystery that persists throughout the book. There is not any murder or crime, but characters tend to act in unexpected ways that kept me guessing. Some of the twists and turns left me genuinely shocked!

Although the book has plenty of positive elements, certain things detracted from my enjoyment. The plot became too convoluted at times, and the ending felt far too rushed and unearned. I also would have liked to see Elinor have more character development throughout the book.

I would recommend this book to people who have already read and enjoyed one or more of Jane Austen’s novels, but suggest that people new to her works start with Emma or Pride and Prejudice.

Content Warnings

toffishay's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really loved this book! Elinor and Marianne have such a fun relationship and their different approaches to love and relationships were very engaging. I loved Elinor too! She is maybe my favorite Austen character now, with Anne from Persuasion as a close second. But Elinor is so strong and funny and interesting. All of her inner dialogue and her willingness to be sharp when she needs to be, made me glad that she is who we follow. I also liked Marianne though and I think she gets shorted in the book a bit. Yes, she engages in flights of fancy but she is 17! I liked the moments where Elinor was able to be there for her though and support her; how they were really able to support each other. Like all Austen books, the end seems to wrap up a little too quickly to me and there is a point in the second volume where things really slow down. Some of the back-and-forths and misunderstandings could have been cut, especially because some are resolved so quickly that they don't impact the plot at all. But I had a good time reading this one and could see myself revisiting it before some others from Austen :)

Content Warnings

marthadude's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I honestly don’t get the Jane Austen hype. I felt like Austen was just writing in circles and I had to turn to online chapter summaries to determine what I just read. Getting through the last 100 pages was like pulling teeth. There were fun moments here and there but overall I wasn’t the biggest fan.

Content Warnings

jupitermond's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

chloereadds's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Content Warnings

More...